Time of the Marauders: Year One
by Sammi D
Summary: There was once a time when James, Sirius, Remus and Peter roamed the halls as students… and Hogwarts never knew what hit it. Filled with classes, pranks and secrets, the marauder’s first year is one they will never forget... please rr!
1. Default Chapter

Chapter One: When It All Began

"James Potter! You better wake yourself up this instant!"

With a sudden jolt, James Potter's hazel eyes opened to face the morning sunshine streaming in through a nearby window. He had to blink a few times to force them to stay open for him to stay awake. He sat up in his bed and let out a huge yawn; stretching his arms high up above him. It took him a moment to realize where he was and what day had just begun.

Abruptly, a sharp knocking came at his door once again. "James Potter, if you are not awake and down here in three minutes you will not be going to Hogwarts this year!" a voice ordered sharply. James smiled as he recognized the voice as his mother's. Not at all to his surprise, she had become a nervous wreck; considering it was the day he left for his first year at Hogwarts. And when events like that were happening, his mother became very strict.

Drowsily, James crawled out of his bed and stretched once again. Though he was physically awake, sleepiness still overtook his mind; begging him to go back to bed. But he knew that wasn't an option; though he wanted to go back to sleep badly, his train left at exactly eleven o'clock. Any later minute that he wasted on sleep would surely make him miss it. Reluctantly, he changed out of his pajamas and threw on a t-shirt and jeans. Before heading down to face his mother, he checked out his look in the mirror. A skinny, eleven-year old boy stared back at him; his identical, glasses-covered, hazel eyes staring straight into his. Hopelessly, he tried to flatten his messy black hair, but it was no use; it stood up in different directions as it had always done. Stifling yet another yawn, he turned from his reflection, walked out of his room and made his way downstairs to the kitchen.

The sweet smell of pancakes accompanied the whistling of a teapot as he descended the steps to the first floor of his house. When he walked into his small kitchen, he could see the source of the smell sitting on a pan on the stove, ready to be flipped. On a burner across from it sat a fat teapot with flower patterns around its bulging middle; steam hissing from its upright spout.

Then, his mother came out from the living room; wiping her hands with a dishtowel. She was dressed in a white shirt and a long scarlet skirt that swept the floor as she walked. Her eyes were a hazel color that practically matched his own. Her usual shoulder-length brown hair was swept into a messy bun on the back of her hair.

"Thank goodness you're awake!" She fussed once she saw he was finally awake, "I was worried you were going to oversleep!"

"How could I possibly oversleep Mum?" he asked, cracking a smile as he made his way farther into the kitchen, "You wouldn't allow it today,"

"Oh I know darling," she said, putting the cooked pancakes onto a plate, "It's just that this is your first year at Hogwarts and I-"

"You're nervous, I know," James said dully, "You've told me that the entire summer... I get the idea..." The woman smiled as she placed the breakfast plate in front of him on the table.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop worrying," she assured him, absentmindedly straightening out her son's shirt.

"Mum..." James groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Alright, just don't roll you eyes at me," she snapped, turning away to start cleaning the dishes with her wand, "But you better eat up; we're leaving here at twenty to eleven," James looked at the clock and almost spit out his tea when he saw the time.

"But it's ten-thirty now!" he exclaimed incredulously.

"And your point is?" she asked, faking mock curiosity.

"I only have ten minutes to eat then!" he stated, as if it was illegal.

"Well if you had gotten up when you were supposed to you would've been ready!" she snapped. James rolled his eyes and muttered, "Mothers..." before starting to eat at top speed.

Before he had much time to think about it, James was finished with his meal and in his bedroom once again, making sure he had everything packed in his trunk. For the third time, James searched around his room to make sure he hadn't left any necessary items behind. Then, just as the clock was approaching the time of ten-forty, he walked over to his trunk to make sure everything that had to be in there was there. He had his robes, his books and his cauldron was packed neatly in-between everything else (his mother insisted she would pack); it looked as if he was ready. Finally, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his most important item, his wand. It was eleven inches, made of mahogany; and he felt it was truly the wand for him. He examined the long, thin, stick of wood with a smile on his face; he was itching to finally be able use it. Mr. Ollivander said that it would be good for Transfiguration and he was eager to test it out to see if it was true. Confident that he had everything, he grasped the handle of his trunk and dragged it out of his room and down the stairs.

"Is dad coming to the station?" James asked as he met his mother in the hallway.

"No, he was called into work early today," she told him, a hint of an apology in her tone.

"Oh," James said, a little disappointedly, "That's okay..."

"Don't worry, he'll probably send you a letter when you get there," she assured him, getting ready to leave the house, "Now are you sure you have everything?"

"Yes mum," he replied.

"Are you positive?" she asked.

"I'm positive mum,"

"All right then, let's get going," She opened the front door for her son and allowed him to walk out first with his trunk. James felt one of the last summer breezes blow across his face; bringing the faint scent of the summer that still lingered in the air. The morning sunshine was beating down on him; despite how early the day was. He dragged his trunk down to the sidewalk and waited for his mother while she locked up. Once she joined him, James asked, "How exactly are we getting there?"

"The Knight Bus," she replied, "I've never traveled on it before, but some friends of mine say it's quite convenient. Let's see... they told me all I had to so was stick up my wand and it should come... well let's have a look-see..."

She pulled her wand out of her pocket and held it high in the air. James looked around to see if anyone was watching them, but to his relief, no one was. He had opened his mouth to ask his mother what was going on, but he couldn't get the words out quick enough. Before he could speak, a large, purple, triple-decker bus came out of nowhere with a loud crack. It came skidding around the corner and then bolted straight to them. As it sped to them, mailboxes and lampposts leapt out of its way to avoid its crazed driving. The bus came to an abrupt halt in front of James and his mother; leaving James stunned with his mouth hanging open. That had to be the most bizarre bus he had ever seen; even in the wizarding world.

Suddenly, the door snapped open and a man popped out. He was wearing a purple conductor's uniform that was the same color as the bus. There was a toothy grin on the man's young face. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard." He said loudly, his voice ringing in the calm street, "Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Brian Janset and I'll be your conductor this morning."

"Hello, we just need a trip for two to King's Cross Station," his mother told him politely.

"Oh! First year at Hogwarts, eh?" the man asked, noticing James' trunk and younger age, "Yeah, you're not the only one going there miss; I haven't seen the bus this crowded in a long time. All right... two people eh? Well it's eleven sickles each so..." James tuned out of Brian's calculations to examine the bus when it was still. Up close, he could see that on the windshield, it had gold, glittering words that spelled out "The Knight Bus".

"All right James, lets get on board; we don't want to be late," his mother hurried him. Dragging his massive trunk, James walked up the stairs (with a little bit of difficulty) and looked around the bus. There were various kinds of chairs clustered together; where James could see many other teenagers seated with their school things. Once he and his mother found a seat, Brian announced that they would be leaving soon. For some reason, many of the people on the bus moaned and groaned. And when another sharp whip sound rang through the air once again, James knew why. The bus seemed to have taken off with tremendous force, throwing him and everyone else on the bus backward.

When James stood up again, massaging his head, he looked out the window to see that they were no longer on his street; they were now speeding somewhere in London. They seemed to be cutting through the traffic that the muggles were causing without a problem. He looked around to see that everybody else was also forcing themselves off the ground; muttering about how the bus should be changed for safety reasons. After about ten minutes of nonstop, hazardous driving, the bus halted to a sudden stop once again; this time, in front of King's Cross Train Station.

"King's Cross Station!" Brian called out as everyone stood to leave, "Thank you again for riding the Knight Bus!" Grumbling, more than half the people on the bus made their way as quickly as they could to the door; as if nervous the bus was going to take off again while they were still on it.

"Convenient... ha! That wasn't convenient!" James' mother complained as they were the last ones to leave the bus, "I'm going to have to have a talk with my friend Layla..." Tired of dragging his trunk, James put his luggage on a trolley and pushed it as he walked. Soon, they reached the area between platforms nine and ten. James looked around, as if expecting to see a sign that told them where to go.

"How do you get to Platform 9 ¾?" James asked, suddenly realizing his mother had never told him how.

"You just need to walk through the barrier between platforms nine and ten," she replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Er... you just... walk through it?" James asked uncertainly.

"Yes, you just walk through it," she repeated, "Oh come on; I'll do it with you." She grasped the luggage trolley with him and said, "On the count of three, we'll run through it together, got it?"

"Got it," James said, holding on to the cart more tightly.

"One... two... three!" James and his mother began to run at top speed towards the seemingly solid brick wall. As they drew closer and closer to it, James' heart pumped faster and faster; what if his mother was wrong and they collided head first into it? But there was no time to back out, because as the thought entered his mind, they were too close to stop. James closed his eyes and involuntarily prepared himself for the blow; but he found himself waiting longer and longer for it to come. He finally opened his eyes to see that the cart halted to a stop; on the other side of the barrier.

James looked around to see that they were no longer at King's Cross (or it didn't seem like it), they were actually on Platform 9 ¾. Many other families accompanied him and his mother on the platform; bidding farewell to their children that were also leaving for school. Across from him sat a scarlet, steam engine; labeled with the words "The Hogwarts Express". James couldn't suppress the grin that came onto his face; he was finally going to Hogwarts.

"Alright, the train will be leaving any minute," his mother said briskly, "So you should get going," Then her face softened up and her eyes filled with happy tears. "I'm going to miss you," she whispered, hugging him like only his mother could, "Have fun and be good, okay?"

"Alright mum," James muttered, hugging her back, "Just stop crying... you're embarrassing me..." After she gave him a kiss on the forehead, James took his trunk and made his way to the train. Anxious to go on, he almost bumped into a boy who was also hurrying to go on the train.

"Oh... sorry..." James apologized, drawing back to let the boy through.

"Don't worry... go on," the other boy said, motioning him to go through.

James smiled and walked on the train; just as it started to whistle. He leaned out a nearby window and waved goodbye to his mother. Tearfully, she waved back; smiling proudly. Gradually and slowly, the train started to pull away from the station; making his mother grow smaller and smaller till she was finally out of sight. James felt a weird swooping feeling in his stomach; there was no turning back now, he was finally on his way.

When he turned away from the window, he suddenly realized that he had to find a compartment to sit in. He saw that the front compartment he was currently standing in was fully occupied, so he made his way to a door that lead to the other compartments. He pushed open a door with one hand and made his way through, holding the door open for a boy who was going the same way as he was.

"Thanks," the boy said, following him into the compartment. James recognized him as the boy he had almost ran into while getting on the train. He had dark eyes that matched the black hair that fell around his face. He was about the same height as him, so he assumed that they were in the same year. "Are you looking for a compartment to sit in too?" the boy asked as they crossed the already full compartment.

"Yup," James said, opening another door for the both of them, "Care to join me in finding one?"

"Why not?" the boy replied, "I really don't know anyone... yet,"

"Well I'm James Potter," James said, grinning.

"Sirius Black," the boy replied, nodding his head towards James, "So you don't know anyone else either?"

"No, not really," James told him as they walked, "I think I have an older cousin who goes here, but I really don't talk with him often,"

"Yeah, I think I have a few cousins that go here," Sirius added thoughtfully, "But I never really talk to them... they kind of bug me actually..."

They continued to talk as they made their way further down the train. Most of the compartments were full; meaning they both had to go farther and farther. James felt as if has hand was about to fall off from dragging his trunk; he wish he could just drop it somewhere. But though it took them a while, James was just glad he had someone to talk to. Sirius was very good company; and it was a bit comforting to know he wouldn't be sitting alone for the entire trip.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, they reached a seemingly empty compartment towards the back. Once they realized they could sit there, James dropped his trunk with a loud thump in the middle of the passageway; massaging his aching hand.

"Finally!" Sirius exclaimed, throwing up his arms in relief, "A compartment to sit in! I was starting to believe we'd be searching for a seat the entire trip!" James laughed as he put his trunk on the overhead rack. When he wondered where he should sit, he realized that they weren't the only ones in the train car. Sitting near the corner of the car sat a boy with light brown-colored hair; peering out the window as the mountain scenery rushed past. He had light colored eyes that went with his light colored hair. In James' opinion, the boy looked a bit fair and peaky, as if he was a little unwell. Nevertheless, James thought it would be good to be friendly.

"Hey," James said, sitting in the seat across from the boy. The boy looked at him and smiled; as if glad he was the first one talking. "I'm James Potter," he said, offering his hand to shake.

At first, the boy seemed a bit hesitant to shake his hand, but he shook it anyway. "Nice to meet you," he said, "I'm Remus Lupin,"

"Making new friends without me James?" Sirius joked, leaning over next to James from the seat behind him. He turned towards Remus and said, "I'm Sirius Black, who are you?"

"Remus Lupin," he repeated, smiling once again, "I imagine you two are first years too?"

"Yup," Sirius replied dully, "I know already I'm going to hate being a first-year though. It's always the younger years that get picked on unfortunately... I can't wait till were in our second year at least... not that I'm going to let anyone pick on me of course,"

"Oh yeah?" James said with his eyebrows raised, "And what exactly will you do about it of someone does pick on you?"

"Hex them of course," he said, grinning mischievously as he flourished his wand from his pocket, "No one can get away with cursing me if I can help it. I can't wait to learn a few good ones..."

"But which class would teach offensive hexes like that?" Remus asked curiously.

Sirius shrugged, "Maybe charms," he said thoughtfully, "But even if it isn't taught to us, we can always look it up in the library, can't we? I mean... I'm not one that's too much into books or anything, but if it's about something like that..." He smiled mischievously again, causing the other boys to laugh.

"What are you two looking forward to at Hogwarts?" Sirius asked inquiringly.

"Quidditch," James answered immediately, smiling, "I want to be able to be on the house team in second year so badly,"

"I'm not sure what I'm looking forward to," Remus answered truthfully, "Just glad to be going there at all I guess,"

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, a bit suspicious.

"I mean, it's just a good school, you know?" Remus explained swiftly, "Glad I got accepted, that's all,"

"Yeah, I'm grateful I'm going there too," Sirius added, "My parents wanted me to go to Durmstang originally, but I didn't want to; it's too cold, and too much dark magic too. Luckily, my mum thought it was too far away, so I got to come here," He beamed proudly.

James, Sirius and Remus spent the rest of the trip talking about all different things, anything that just came to their minds. James had a good time talking to the other two boys. They were all pretty different, but it was as if there was one thing in common that tied them together. This one, unknown similarity was what made James enjoy the time they spent getting to know each other.

As time passed by, and as miles of different scenery passed in the window, the sun sank lower and lower into the sky till it finally melted into dusk. Before they knew it, they were changing into their Hogwarts uniforms; getting ready to get off the train.

"I hate these uniforms," Sirius grumbled, tugging on the sleeve of his robes, "They're so uncomfortable... how am I going to last seven years wearing these?!"

As the steam engine finally slowed down to a stop, the sky had gone completely dark; looking like black velvet above the earth. Tiny stars were sprinkled throughout the sky; winking down on the Hogsmeade station. Above them, a crescent moon was cut out in the sky; casting a milky moonlight wherever it shone. James had never seen such a night sky like the one he was looking at that moment. As James, Sirius and Remus stepped off onto the platform, they heard a loud, booming voice ring throughout the nighttime air.

"Firs' years!" it called, "Firs' years this way!"

"Hey! That's us!" Sirius announced unnecessarily, looking for the source of the call, "But where do we go?"

"It's that giant guy over there!" Remus yelled over the chatter, pointing to a large man at the end of the platform. He was holding up a big lantern up above the crowd as he beckoned to everyone and continued to yell, "All firs' years over here!"

"Are you ready?" James asked the other two excitedly. They nodded, smiling from ear to ear. Slightly nervous, but in high spirits, the trio pushed their way through the crowd; ready to see the first view of their school.


	2. The Sorting

Chapter Two: The Sorting

Once all the first years had gathered in front of the giant man, he beckoned again to them and yelled, "Alright then, all firs' years follow me! Be careful where yeh step, it can ge' a bit slippery... stick together and follow me!" He started to lead them in a different direction than the older students. It seemed as if first years had to take a different route than the other students, though James didn't know why. The lights from the platform had disappeared as they made their way further down the sharply inclined path; plunging them into a deep darkness. If it weren't for Hagrid's lantern, James was sure they would get lost.

"Why do we take a different path?" Remus asked as they continued to walk down the path.

"Because yeh need to be sorted o' course!" the man said obviously, "Yeh also need teh get yer firs' view of Hogwarts from a different view,"

"Hey, what's your name?" Sirius asked, "Are you a giant?"

"Rubeus Hagrid," he told him, "And no; I'm not a giant, I'm only part o' one. How else did yeh think I got this big?"

"Well I heard Skelegro can do some major damage sometimes," Sirius admitted to James in a murmur.

"Ah here we are!" Hagrid announced. The path had suddenly widened as it came to a large lake. The lake looked shadowy and mysterious has light waves rippled its surface, though a wind didn't blow upon its surface. But beyond the lake was what had everyone gasping in amazement; past the lake stood a large castle, more specifically, Hogwarts. It had many tall towers that seemed to touch the moon and numerous little windows scattered on its stonewalls. James felt his breath catch in his throat when he realized that was where he would be going to school for the next seven years.

"Alrigh' only four to a boat!" Hagrid shouted as they reached the bank of the lake. At first, James didn't know what he was talking about. But it only took a few seconds for him to realize a group of small boats bobbing softly in the water. Him, Sirius, Remus and some blond-haired girl got into a boat and waited for everyone else to do the same. When everyone was settled, Hagrid got into his own boat and said, "Ev'ryone in a boat? Good... forward!"

Automatically, all the little boats started to sail across the lake in one large mass. The boats glided smoothly across the water, bringing them closer and closer to the castle. When they reached the middle of the lake, James was startled to see a long, slimy tentacle brush up against the side of their boat. However, Sirius reached out and touched it.

"Wicked," he whispered, looking at his slippery fingertips, "I remember my grandfather once saying something about a giant squid in the lake..."

Soon, they had made their way all across the lake and had went under a cliff that continued on underground. After about a minute or so of floating through the tunnel, they came to a rocky harbor; at which they all got out onto. Hagrid made his way to the front and led them up a stone staircase and up to a large, oak door. After checking to make sure everyone was behind him, he knocked on the door three times with his fist.

Immediately, the door creaked open and they saw a woman on the other side. She had black hair that was held in a tight bun and maroon colored robes on. She seemed tall and she had a strict manner about her. She laced her fingers together in front of her and smiled.

"Good evening Hagrid," she said politely.

"Evening Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said briskly. He motioned to the young crowd behind him. "The firs' years,"

"I'll take over, thank you," she said, stepping aside to let him step through.

"Good luck," he said, flashing them all a smile before walking away.

"Please follow me," Professor McGonagall said, beckoning to all of them. Timidly, all the new students went in after her; gawking at the castle as they entered. The entrance hall was huge and beautiful; the most amazing thing James had ever seen so far in his life. The ceiling reached high above them and the floor below their feet was made of white marble, glistening in the torchlight. The professor led them to a small chamber on the other side of the hall and quieted them all down.

"First of all, I'd like to welcome you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she said crisply, "Before you all sit down for the feast, you need to be sorted into your houses. Your house will be like your family within school. You attend class together, sit at your own table in the Great Hall, your dormitories are all together, and so forth. The four houses in our school are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house is named after one of the four founders of our noble school; and each only welcomes students possessing certain aspects that one of the leaders' were known for. Throughout the year, you will both gain and lose house points for your house; and the house with the most points at the end of the year will win the house cup. Anyway, the sorting ceremony will start in just a few moments, so I will come get you when we're ready for you." With that, she left; leaving the students more scared than they were when they first entered.

"So how exactly do we get sorted?" James asked Remus and Sirius as muttering broke upon the first years.

"No idea," Remus answered, shrugging, "You don't think we need to... perform any magic yet, do you?"

"We can't," Sirius said firmly, "If they don't allow us to use magic until we graduate from school, then there's no way we can use it before classes even start!"

"I hope you're right," James said, glancing nervously at the rest of the students in the chamber, "I'm not ready to start learning anything yet,"

Just then, the doors opened again and Professor McGonagall entered. She was holding a rolled up piece of parchment in her hands as she surveyed the suddenly silent students. She gave them a small smile before saying anything.

"It's time for the ceremony now," she announced, "Follow me into the Great Hall," Nervously, James, Sirius and Remus exchanged glances and followed hesitantly after Professor McGonagall.

She led them into a huge dining hall that was illuminated by thousands of floating candles that hovered above their heads. Also above them was a seeming enchanted ceiling; that reflected the nighttime sky James had seen outside. If he hadn't known better, he would've thought that there wasn't a top to the hall at all. As they continued to walk down the center aisle, James saw two, long tables on each side of him. Each was filled with students, but had enough room for a couple more. Hanging over each table was a different banner; one was scarlet and gold with a lion, another with a raven that was blue and silver, across from that was a yellow and black one with a badger, and the last one was green and silver with a serpent. At the front of the hall, sat one long table that faced the rest of the tables. Seated at it were all the professors and other faculty members. They were all watching the line of first years intently, as if trying to judge which ones were the troublemakers of their year. As they approached the front of the hall, Professor McGonagall halted them to a stop. She walked to a corner of the hall and stepped out of the shadows, carrying a stool and an old, patched hat.

"A hat?" Remus whispered, voicing James' thoughts as well, "How's a hat going to judge which house we should be placed in?" James shrugged, but Sirius said nothing. He was glancing at the Slytherin table with a slightly nervous look on his face. For once, since James had met him on the train at least, he had a look of uncertainty hinted on his face.

"You okay, Sirius?" James asked, eyeing his new friend suspiciously.

"Oh yeah... I'm fine," Sirius said quickly, diverting his attention back to James, "Just trying to figure out which house I'm going to be sorted into,"

James was going to answer back, but now, Professor McGonagall had placed the stool in front of the timid new students. All the students looked at it curiously; also wondering how a hat was going to sort them into their houses. But suddenly, a rip in the hat opened up, revealing some type of mouth. For a moment, the hat's rip twitched into a quick smile at the first years' bewilderment. But soon, it opened wide and began to sing:

"_I can see you're surprised to see me,_

_And I know what you're thinking too,_

_You're all wondering what I am_

_And what I can do for you,_

_Well I am the Sorting Hat_

_And I've been here many years,_

_My job is to sort you into your houses_

_By reading your traits and fears_

_You can be in Gryffindor _

_Where boldness dominates all_

_And in the face of mortal danger_

_You must fight brave and tall_

_There is also Ravenclaw_

_Where only the bright fit in_

_Their pride rests in the quick of mind_

_And that's how it's always been_

_Hufflepuff is another good choice_

_Where to be loyal is to be strong_

_Those who reside in their house_

_Must stand by their mates all the long_

_Slytherin is a cunning group_

_Their determination never ends_

_Cleverness and craftiness is what you'll find_

_Common within their friends_

_Prepare yourselves, for now is the time_

_When your fate shall be chosen by me_

_But do not fear! You're destiny is safe,_

_For only the right choice is what I see!"_

The Great Hall erupted into applause as the hat ended its song. But a few first years still looked a bit hesitant on putting a singing hat on their head. When the cheering died down, Professor McGonagall opened the scroll in her hands and began to read off of it.

"Allian, Emily!" she called out. The blond haired girl James had shared a boat with made her way apprehensively to the front of the hall. Her blue eyes were hinted with fear as she sat down on the stool and waited for Professor McGonagall to put the hat on her head. When the professor lowered the hat over her face, the rest of the school watched intently for the answer.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat yelled out suddenly. The table with the badger banner above it erupted into cheers as the girl hurried over towards them with her face lowered to the ground. But despite her blushing cheeks, a smile was present on her face.

"Amaria, Daphne!" Professor McGonagall announced once the applause died down. A girl with long, shimmering black hair rushed up to the stool and sat down on it quickly. Her blue eyes watched excitedly as the hat was put onto her head. After a minute of quiet debate with itself, the hat yelled out:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The scarlet and gold table burst into raucous applause as the girl raced over to her table; grinning broadly. Obviously, Gryffindor had been the house she was hoping to be sorted into.

"Avalon, Marie!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Bourgoin, Eric!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Black, Sirius!"

Next to him, Sirius stiffened up and swallowed. After taking a deep breath, he made his way through the crowd. Once again, James saw that Sirius didn't have on a self-assured look on his face. He sat on the stool and his eyes darted quickly to the Slytherin table once again. Then, the hat lowered over his face and you could no longer notice where he was looking. The silence in the hall was so deep that it seemed loud. For some reason, Sirius' sorting was taking longer than everyone else's. Finally, the Sorting Hat made his decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

When the hat was lifted off his head, James could see an expression of relief hinted on Sirius' face. Though his table was clapping, it wasn't as strong as it was for Daphne's joining. Some were sending suspicious glances Sirius' way and others were actually muttering to each other. Sirius noticed this and kept his head low as he made his way to the table. Remus turned around and gave James a questionable look, but he could only shrug. He was just as confused about their behavior as Remus was.

"Chica, Katie!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Dalai, Hugh!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Evans, Lily!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Gobel, Cody!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Harrian, Jessica!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Johnson, Harry!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Kellner, Louis!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Laryn, Elizabeth!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Lupin, Remus!"

James turned to his other friend as his name was called. His eyes had widened when he heard his name, but he didn't appear as nervous as Sirius was. He gave James a calm smile and started to walk up to the front. He sat down slowly on the seat as the hat was placed over his head. James noticed the faculty at the head table whispering to each other as the hat made his decision, but the headmaster silenced them with one stern look.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat announced loudly.

The Gryffindor table cheered as Remus walked over towards them and took a seat next to Sirius. James heart leapt into his throat; what if he was sorted into a different house? He would lose the two friends he had made on the train and would have to start all over again. Truthfully, he didn't want to; he liked his two new friends. When they noticed how James was looking at them, they held up their hands to show that their fingers were crossed.

"Marene, Danielle!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Noelle, Rachel!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Nuport, Gary!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Orion, Timothy!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Payne, Julie!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Pettigrew, Peter!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Pilias, Helga!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Potter, James!"

James felt his stomach churn when he heard his name ring throughout the Great Hall. For a quick moment, he felt as if his feet were glued to the floor and he couldn't move. Finally, he forced himself to make his way through the crowd and up to the front of the hall. When he turned around and took a seat, he saw how everyone was watching him. He closed his eyes even before the hat was lowered onto his head.

"Nervous, eh?"

James opened his eyes immediately to see the inside cloth of the hat. The voice... it was the hat... it was talking to him in his mind. Mentally, he agreed with his statement.

"Well that's only normal," the hat muttered, "Now let's get to business... hmm... very brave, daring... extremely smart... oh you do have the traits for a Gryffindor. But then again, Ravenclaw could suit you... too bold for Hufflepuff and too loyal for Slytherin, so those two are out..."

"_I just want to be with my friends,_" James thought pleadingly, "_I don't want to be separated from them..._"

"Ahh, now that request confirms it!" the hat exclaimed, "There's only one house I can place you in for loyalty like that... GRYFFINDOR!"

The last word was spoken loud enough for the entire hall to hear. The Gryffindor table applauded as James took the hat off his head and rushed to the table. He sat in the seat next to Sirius and grinned.

"Glad you could make it James!" Sirius exclaimed as the cheering died down.

"Roan, Ted!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Ruman, Michael!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Snape, Severus!"

A small, skinny boy with greasy hair dragged his feet up to the stool with his hands jammed in his pockets. He was very pale and looked as if he hadn't seen the sun for months. He plopped himself down on the stool and showed no emotion when the hat touched his head. It didn't take too long for the hat to yell out, "SLYTHERIN!"

"He looks like a little ray of sunshine, doesn't he?" Sirius muttered as the boy walked slowly to the cheering Slytherin table.

"Storms, Cynthia!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Swearington, Rosa!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Tamen, Lucy!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Vixen, Kaitlyn!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

After "Wariton, Joseph," became a Hufflepuff, Professor McGonagall rolled up the scroll she was reading from and put the hat and stool away. It seemed as if the entire Great Hall took a sigh of relief at the same time. James was so hungry his stomach seemed to be complaining louder than the chatter breaking over the Great Hall. Then, the headmaster stood up and raised his hands for silence. Immediately, he got his wish.

"Welcome, new students and old, to another school year at Hogwarts!" he announced, his eyes twinkling in the candlelight, "It is truly a pleasure to see you all here tonight; ready to embark on another year's journey of magic. But that is not what's on your mind now, so I won't push it any further! So now, without further ado, I give you, your welcoming feast!"

He swept his hands over the hall, causing James to wonder where the food was. Just as the thought entered his mind, food blossomed onto the golden plates before them. The plates that were just empty a few seconds ago were now filled with roasted chicken, boiled potatoes, gravy, pork chops, carrots, sausages, beans and everything else James had ever eaten in his life; or at least that's what it seemed like. Their goblets were also suddenly refreshed with fresh, cold pumpkin juice.

"Now _this_ is what I call useful magic!" Sirius exclaimed as he started to spoon potatoes onto his plate. Nodding in agreement, James dug into the platter of sausages and began to stuff himself without a second thought. After a few minutes of nonstop eating, James slowed down and looked around the table. So this was his house; the people he would be spending most of his time with during his years at school. He was about to say something to Remus when a sight at the other side of the table caught his eye.

On the opposite side of the Gryffindor table sat a pretty redheaded girl talking to a girl on her other side. Her long, bouncy red hair sat nicely on her shoulders and she smiled as her lips talked. But what really were amazing were her eyes; they were vividly green, as in emerald green. Not even emerald, more like a fiery green that was always twinkling. James couldn't believe how pretty she looked. Just then, a tap on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts.

He turned around and saw a squat boy sitting next to him. He was pretty short for his age (even as a first year) and had mousy brown hair. The boy gave him a small smile and said, "Hello, my name is Peter Pettigrew... what's your name?"

"James Potter," he replied, shaking his hand, "Are you in Gryffindor too?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah... do you mind if I sit with you?" he asked timidly.

"Not at all," James answered. The boy smiled; glad to have someone to sit with. Just then, Sirius and Remus leaned over and asked, "Who's that James?"

"Peter Pettigrew," he told them. Then he turned to Peter. "This is Sirius Black and Remus Lupin," The boy gave a small wave; Sirius and Lupin exchanged looks, but ended up being friendly in the end.

After they had finished dinner and moved onto dessert (in which the choices were just as extravagant as the dinner choices were). By the end of the feast, James felt as if he were filled to the rim with food. The great amount of eating he had done had left him feeling bloated and a bit sleepy. It came as a relief when Professor Dumbledore stood up for silence again.

"Now that we have enjoyed our lovely feast, it's time for a few announcements," Professor Dumbledore proclaimed, "As I have always reminded students year after year, the Forbidden Forest is off boundaries to all students; no exceptions. Another extra precaution we have is concerning a certain willow tree just planted on our grounds. It's a very rare species of plant, and the Ministry has asked us to let it grow on our grounds. However, this is a very dangerous tree, so I warn you to stay a far distance from it. This is very important, so I want to make sure I make it clear now. Well I'm sure you're all very tired now, and you all need your rest for classes tomorrow! Prefects, please escort the first-years to your common rooms... sleep well!"

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter all stood from their seats and went to follow the two fifth-years that were calling all first-years towards them. Once they were all gathered in front of them, the prefects led them out of the hall and towards a large, marble staircase. After ascending many flights of steps, they walked through a few more corridors and stopped in front of a large portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress. When they arrived, she raised a hand elegantly and asked, "Password, please?"

"Phoenix tears," the girl prefect stated clearly.

The hinges pf the portrait swung open to reveal a crawlspace. They all scrambled through it and entered into a warm, lofty room. It was mostly colored scarlet and had a roaring fire in the fireplace. Many couches and armchairs took up the space, along with many desks for work.

"This is the common room," one prefect told them, "Right this way, are the dormitory staircases. Boys go upstairs to your left, and girls to your right. All your luggage has been brought up to your rooms already. Sleep well!"

The four first-year boys dragged their weary selves up the staircase and into the room labeled "First-Years". Four, four-poster beds were inside, each with a different person's belongings next to it. When James found his, he didn't even bother to unpack. He just undressed himself, pulled on his pajamas and crawled into his bed. With a few murmured goodnights to his friends, he closed his eyes and began to drift to sleep. He smiled; he already felt at home.


End file.
